Bustleholme 4 Ledbury Town 2

THE loss of defenders Steve Powell and Adrian Thomas before the break - and a generally below-par performance - saw Ledbury crash to their second West Midlands League Premier Division defeat of the season.

Striker Robbie Colwell went close for Ledbury with an early strike but Bustleholme came roaring back and Ledbury goalkeeper Jamie Hales was forced to make a string of fine saves.

A strangely lethargic Ledbury defence was static as Neville Granville ran through unchallenged to give Bustleholme a 20th-minute lead, and similar indecision nine minutes later saw them increase their lead through Gareth Davies.

Despite two defenders going off with muscle strains, Ledbury rallied and reduced the deficit just before the break when Colwell set up Phil Preedy, who finished with a superb strike.

But further slack Ledbury defending midway through the second half saw Bustleholme take a two-goal lead through Davies before Colwell converted a 77th-minute penalty to close the gap to a single goal.

Then, as Ledbury tried to push up, they were caught on the break by Davies who completed a fine hat-trick to secure a home win.